The Great Gift Exchange
by Showknight
Summary: Harry just wanted to get everyone into the spirit of inter-house unity in time for the holidays. Gift exchanges and snarky blonds, hilarity ensues.


**Author's note:** So this is my very first fanfic *cue applause*, so please bare with me. There might be a ton of mistakes, I'll try and get a beta on this, but in the mean time please write a review and tell me what you liked and didn't liked. This will be updated whenever I get inspiration and a suitable word count. First chapter will be updated once after this, but I'll try and only publish complete chapters from here on in. Thanks for deciding to give this a read!

**Disclaimer:** I'm told these are generally funny... I should work on that. Alas, I'm not J.K. Rowling, but a child borrowing her characters for her personal enjoyment. I solemnly swear no money is being made from this (well, that I know of).

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

When Harry Potter decided that coming back to Hogwarts to repeat his final year was a good idea, he'd clearly had miscalculated one crucial thing.

Draco Malfoy.

Okay, well, maybe Malfoy wasn't the only thing Harry had miscalculated. There was of course the absurd amount of studying Hermione regularly enforced (to Ron's understandable dismay), and the constant hero worship which, if possible, had seemed to have grown tenfold in the past few months, and yes, to have Professor Mcgonagall breathe down his neck constantly asking, "Have decided what you plan to do with your future yet, Mr. Potter," was working Harry into a state of distress because to be quite frank, no, he did not know what he was going to do with his future. Used to having his life planned out for him, Harry wanted to enjoy the follies of youth, but clearly that wasn't an option for the saviour.

But back to Malfoy.

It wasn't as if seeing Malfoy at platform 9 ¾ was a huge deal, seeing as Harry was at Malfoy's trial and knew that one of the terms of the blond's probation had been to attend Hogwarts for their final year- or eighth year as some had dubbed it. Actually, the past few months had been passed with remarkable civility from the two (ex)rivals. It was probably due to Malfoy's subduedness' and Harry's reluctance to spark petty feuds- funny how a war changes one's perspective on such things. No, it wasn't the open hostility that was the problem, but rather the lack of hostility, if that made any sense. The former death eater had become nothing more but a literal punching bag to everyone still sore about the war. But not just Malfoy, most of the Slytherins had become ostracized and many in their year had not returned to complete their education-their sense of self preservation as strong as ever. Harry had assumed that seeing the Slytherins in such a state would hearten the other houses but if anything their anger, though rightly justified hardly needed anymore, was intensified. He'd assume the students at Hogwarts would sort it out by themselves organically, but the hols were fast approaching and the problem had yet to be solved. Harry voiced his concerns to his friends.

Hermione looked up from her advance Transfiguration text, "Well of course, it's quite obvious," she said in her almost clinical tone, "you and Malfoy have always had that stupid rivalry. It sparked competition in the other students, though in the previous years it sparked more malice than anything else. I guess after the war people aren't so ready to spread some inter-house unity with the Slytherins."

"Serves those slimy gits right," Ron cut in from his spot next to Hermione on the couch, "how do they expect us to forget the hell they put us through last year?"

"Ron, do you seriously think it was all fine and dandy for them? Most of the Slytherin's had been raised to think like that. This year is supposed to be about moving on, forging a new future, how are we supposed to do that when we're as divided as ever?" Hermione asked, voicing Harry's exact sentiments. Ron was silent before he slowly nodded his head, "I guess you're right as always Hermione," he said with a sheepish smile directed at the bushy haired girl, "but what do you want us to do? It's not like we can exactly forget about the war," Ron continued.

"I agree, the only way to solve this is if everyone set aside their differences and actually got to know each other," Hermione said sagely.

"But how? How do we get a bunch of people who hate each other to spontaneously start getting along?" Harry asked.

Hermione tapped her quill against her chin, staring thoughtfully into the distance, hmm-ing slightly.

"Well," she said after several moments of silence, "I think I have an idea and good thing too, the timing is absolutely perfect,"

The two boys huddled closer to hear Hermione's plan and grinned as they pulled back.

Oh yes, this could work.

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><p><strong>Additional Notes: <strong>This chapter is pretty short and I do apologize for that, I'll try to aim for longer chapters each time. Reviews are very much appreciated!


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